


My Turn To Give In

by imjustmyself



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Both spiritshipping and broshipping are purely platonic, I should proofread more but well, M/M, Season 4 Spoilers, because we didn't get enough Johan in season 4 tbh, but it's me so obviously spiritshipping goes above
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27278413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imjustmyself/pseuds/imjustmyself
Summary: Judai was not the same ever since they came back from the Dark World. Sho can't take it anymore and tries to do something to help him for once. So he brings back the only person he thinks can get Judai back to his old self, as much as he may not want to admit it.
Relationships: Johan Andersen | Jesse Anderson/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki, Marufuji Shou | Syrus Truesdale/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki
Comments: 29
Kudos: 69





	My Turn To Give In

**Author's Note:**

> Some day I will stop writing 3rd POV pieces on Spiritshipping but that day is not today (I feel like I'm getting repetitive but well).  
> So I was absolutely pissed off at the lack of Johan in season 4. Like, Judai basically went to hell to help him, he became impulsive and irrational to he point of affecting other....HE COMMITTED GENOCIDE all because he thought Johan was gone. And then "yeah sorry gotta go back to my school see ya". Nope. Not having it.  
> So I figured this part of the plot of S4 was a good moment for Johan to intervene and help Judai out. Aside from that, I feel like Sho gets a lot of flak from the fandom because of how dependent he is on Judai (and I agree) so I wanted to write a but of a redeeming piece for him, so this is Sho's POV. 
> 
> Oh yeah, this takes place fairly early in S4, like the others don't know Judai fused his soul with Yubel yet.  
> If you feel like you enjoyed it or if you have any constructive criticism I would love to read about it :) I love to hear everyone's thoughts!  
> Happy reading

Sho really had to remind himself over and over why he was doing this.

North Duel Academia wasn’t really what he expected. Perhaps, because of the similarity with the names, he expected the students to look like those from North Academy who went to cheer on Manjome in his duel against Judai. He had mentally prepared himself for the bulkier builds of those students, further enhanced by their winter uniforms, an ocean of brown, black and grey. For the coarse language they used, for the brutal, survival-like tier system Manjome had talked to them about.

But North Duel Academia was nothing like North Academy. In fact, it pretty much resembled Duel Academia. Minus the active volcano, that was. 

The students all wore uniforms that identified them as a Slifer Red, Ra Yellow or Obelisk Blue, even if the models were slightly different from the ones used in Duel Academia. The girls’ dresses were a tad longer and had more flow, Sho even spotted quite a few girls wearing jeans and jackets instead. The shirts they wore were looser, sometimes substituted by turtlenecks. Some students covered themselves with a scarf, gloves or a light sweater. There wasn’t any snow yet but the wind was enough to give you some chills. 

The school itself was also quite similar to his own, except that the Red dorms didn’t look as terrible as the ones in Duel Academia. At least the building itself was bigger, but he didn’t have time to find out what it was like on the inside. He was looking for an Obelisk Blue student. The best duelist at this school. 

It may have been a bit late to realize he had no idea where to go inside the school…or that he didn’t even speak the language. Truth being told, Sho didn’t think he would make it this far into his plan and had not taken the little things such as that into account. But well, he should eventually find who he was looking for, right? If what Edo said was true, if he was such a famous duelist, then he should be easy to find. Sho started walking around the school, looking for a sole familiar face among the hundreds of unknown students.

Judai. Sho kept repeating his name in his head over and over. This was all for him. He could do this, for Judai.

It wasn’t until he had searched for over an hour that he considered just going back home and giving up. He had gone through the whole Obelisk Blue dorms, he stood outside each classroom, visited the school shop, the dueling gym. But the guy was nowhere to be seen! Ammon had called him “Ghost” when they first met, perhaps he was really impossible to find when he didn’t want to be found. Sho felt frustration boiling inside of him. Seriously? He had traveled across an entire continent for his plan to end here? He was so tempted to just spit on this whole thing, give up and go back home. He wasn’t even particularly close to the guy.

But Judai certainly was. 

The similarities between one another certainly played a part in the instant bond those two shared. From the looks of it, he wasn’t a stranger to skip classes and spend the day by himself, just like Judai when he lazes around the Academy’s rooftop.

Wait a minute, if Judai and him are so alike, maybe he also liked to hang out in remote places, too. If only he could find his way around this school, or at least ask somebody for help…

As he looked around for answers (or anything really), when he spotted the Slifer Red dorms. Just like Duel Academia, they were located at the edge of a small cliff, but from the view the top floor of the main building provided, he could see a walkway that started from the back of the dorms and seemed to lead to the highest point of the cliff where a single tree rested.

Jackpot.

\---

As Sho got closer to the tree, he spotted a mop of teal hair. It really couldn’t be anyone but Johan Andersen.

The Scandinavian Duelist was sitting against the tree trunk, and even from a distance he could hear him talking even if there didn’t seem to be anyone with him. Once upon a time he would have just smiled uneasily and credited it to a very active imagination and passion for dueling, they same way he had carelessly dismissed Judai’s words when he talked about his cards as if they were alive. But after everything they’ve been through, he now knows duel spirits very much exist, even if only a few gifted people could see them in this dimension. 

So Johan as probably talking to the Crystal Beasts, Sho knew he had a very strong bond with them, perhaps even more so than Judai and his Elemental Heroes. 

Johan looked up to see Sho a few feet away from the tree. The shorter one saw the other’s emotions run wildly across his face: starting off with a neutral expression, then confusion and finally suprised. Yeah, Sho was surprised to find himself in this place, too.

-“Sho?” Johan asked. 

-“Hi, Johan.” Sho tried to smile but he didn’t have the natural charisma people like Judai did and he was sure it looked a bit awkward “How are you doing?”

-“I’ve been okay, but Sho….what are you doing here?” Johan stood up from his place by the tree as Sho got closer. The taller duelist had not really changed in the few months he’s been away from Duel Academia, though Sho would have to be blind to not notice the dark circles under his eyes. Or wonder if he’s always been THAT pale. But he decided to leave those thoughts for another time.

-“Y-Yeah, well no…well, sort of?” Johan just stared at him, blinking every so often, clarly not understanding. Sho himself didn’t know exactly what to tell Johan or how to begin. Yeah, compared to the hell they went through a few months ago everything was perfectly fine. But there were some things that still weren’t back to normal. Judai being the main one.

Perhaps that was the best way to start this over, telling Johan why he needed him. Sho breathed in deeply trying to set his ideas straight.

-“Nevermind. I’m here ‘cause we need you back at Duel Academia. We need your help.” Sho said.

Johan’s face went from confused to worried, his brows creasing and the emerald green eyes piercing through Sho. “What is it?” he asked.

-“It’s…” Sho let out a defeated small breath as he looked down.”It’s Judai. He’s okay I think but he hasn’t-“ He looked back up when he felt movement only to find Johan walking off….what?

-“Hey! Johan! W-where are you going?” Sho screamed after him, trying to keep up with the other blue haired to no avail. Stupid genetics couldn’t give him his brother’s long legs. “Johan!”

The aforementioned then suddenly turned around, startling Sho who ended up knocking against him. 

-“I’m heading back to my dorm to pack. You said it’s about Judai, right? Well let’s head back to Duel Academia.” Johan turned back around and kept walking in the direction Sho assumed his dorm was. He stared dumbfounded for a second before he reacted and rushed to catch up.

-“B-but wait! I haven’t even told you_”

-“You can tell me on the way!”

\-----

That’s how Sho found himself on a plane back to Japan much sooner than he thought he would (jetlag was going to be hell), with the very person he set out to find. They were sitting in the first class section (courtesy of Ryo and his generous income as a pro duelist), Johan asking to be caught on wa¡hat was going on in Duel Academia before the plane even took off.

Sho really should have figured out how to word his concern over Judai on the way to the airport. Once again, he found himself scrambling for words, trying not to sound like he was making a big deal out of nothing. He was asking the guy next to him to leave his home right after he came back from that hell dimension and fly across the continent. He had to make it sound like it was a good enough reason. 

-“Well…you saw Judai after he came back, right?” Sho asked.

-“Ehm, yeah. He found me at the nurse’s office to give me my deck back.” Johan confirmed, he sounded confused, obviously not knowing where this was going.

-“And…you _saw_ him. How he’s….he’s different now.” Sho looked straight into Johan’s eyes, hoping that the other understood what he meant without elaborating into it. That the foreigner could also see what he did. That he wasn’t exaggerating all of this.

-“Yeah, I mean. Anyone could see that.” It didn’t seem like Johan still fully understood where Sho was going with this. 

Sho sighed. “But it wasn’t only physical. Judai’s not the same.” He continued. “He was never a top student, but at least he showed up to class to sleep most of the times. Now he is skipping everything, I’m sure he’s not doing any homework. He doesn’t even show up for the practical classes.” That made Johan’s eyes go wide for a moment and Sho knew that made his alarms sound as much as it did to his own. Even if it was for class, Judai would have never, ever, missed a duel at school before. “And not only that. We barely see him anymore. We all got moved out of the Red dorms except for Judai. And so we never know what’s going on with him anymore. We can go on for days without knowing anything about him. We don’t see him for lunch, or at the store, or at the dueling gym…” 

The worried tone kept creeping into his words, stronger with each sentence. Yes, there was a time in which Sho lost complete faith on Judai, a time in which he thought of him as utmost selfish, hot headed, impulsive and inconsiderate. 

But after the brunet’s duel with Yubel his perception of him gave a one-eighty. He didn’t go back to his old ways of basically idolizing Judai (Sho still cringes a bit when he thinks back on it), but next to his brother, he’s probably the person he respects the most. And the blue haired boy thinks is high time he does something for Judai for once. 

-“Oh. I get it.” Johan interrupted his thoughts. “That definitely doesn’t sound like Judai” He then stared at some random point on his side while he crossed his arms. His lips were pursed, seemingly lost in thought. Sho figured he was trying to imagine Judai behaving like that or coming up with possible reasons as to why he changed.

-“Okay, how can I help?” Johan asked. Sho tightened his lips and looked down to his lap. Did he really have to say it out loud? 

At that moment the safety announcement started, with the flight attendants standing on the aisle, ready to signal the way to the emergency exits and show the proper use of the seatbelt and life vest. Both of them decided to drop the conversation at that moment, though Sho assumed they would retake it after the take off.

But Johan fell asleep before that. Sho stared at the sleeping figure next to him, he saw the dark circles under his eyes and the excessively pale skin that he had taken notice of earlier today. He wasn’t really sure if the other had a tendency to fall asleep at random times, but going by his appearance it looked like he didn’t get much sleep at night. Well, his body had been possessed by an enraged duel monster spirit while his soul was sealed inside another duel monster. And who knows if Yubel had done anything to him before that. That has got to mess up with even the toughest of minds. 

A wave of sympathy and a bit of pity hit Sho and it took him by surprise. There had been a time in which he was outright jealous of Johan. Sho prided himself in being the first and closest friend Judai had at Duel Academia. And if his rivalry with Kenzan was anything to go by, he wasn’t going to let go if that title easily.

But in a matter of a few days, he found himself displaced by Johan. And unlike the situation the Kenzan, as much as he tried, he knew he wasn’t going to win that one. Johan formed a bond with Judai that none of them could probably even begin to understand. Starting with the fact that, save for Manjome, they couldn’t see the spirits Judai so often talked about. Admittedly, Sho didn’t do himself any favors by never believing the brown haired guy when he talked about them. He still scolded himself every now and then for that. 

It seemed like, up until recently, Sho either held whatever Judai said in a pedestal, or completely dismissed it to the point of being rude. There was no middle ground. And maybe all of them made that mistake to different degrees. Johan was the one who just saw him as Judai. And it surely went both ways. Judai saw Johan as a friend, as a duelist equally passionate as himself. As someone who treated their cards with as much respect and adoration as him (maybe even more so). 

Thinking about it always made Sho feel insecure about himself, because it made him realize how unfair he had been on Judai this whole time. Seeing Johan standing up for himself, for Judai in the duel against Cobra, for the whole school when he sacrificed himself. Even now, after everything Johan surely suffered, he didn’t hesitate for a second to go back and help Judai…while he just couldn’t do it. 

He saw the wrong in his own ways, saw how right Johan had been when he said Judai carried everyone’s expectations on his shoulders. They gave Judai that burden, and Sho felt like he did it the most out of everyone. Judai had done everything for him, he gave him the confidence to stand up for himself, to walk out of his brother’s shadow, to find his inner strength in the face of adversity. 

And how did he pay him? By hesitating to go with him to save Johan, by abandoning him in the Dark World, by judging him and spiting on him in the moment when he was the most vulnerable. He decided to just stand by and watch…how could he be so selfish? How inconsiderate could he be, when Judai had done nothing but trying his hardest to save him and everyone else on more than one occasion?

That wasn’t one of Sho’s proudest moments, and he promised he would never doubt his friend they way he did back then.

Things were better now, and after they came back Sho learned to accept that, even if he indeed was Judai’s first friend and one of his closest, it was okay if he wasn’t his best friend. If said best friend proved to be what Judai needed most, Sho could agree to it. 

That’s how he came up with the idea of asking Johan for help. None of them were able to reach to Judai right now, at least not truly. Some days they did manage to find the sole Slifer Red hanging around the dorms or fishing by the docks. And they could set some kind of small talk for a while. The weather, fishing, Chrono’s latest tantrum. But sooner rather than later Judai would shut them out again, going back to keeping them at arm’s length, avoiding any serious topics of conversation. If they got to pushy he would just leave, finding some place else so hang out by himself (or with his duel monster spirits, Sho guesses). 

So, in hopes of bringing the old Judai back, Sho figured that if they couldn’t crack his shell, maybe the person closest to him can. Maybe the person who sometimes acted like a carbon copy of Judai would know exactly what to say to him. Judai risked his life to save the foreigner in that awful dimension, that’s got to count for something. That alone is enough for Sho to know how important Johan is to Judai. 

And maybe a bit selfishly, he hoped this could ease up some of the guilt he’s felt ever since. 

\-----

They were standing at the foot of the staircase outside of the red dorms, both looking up at the only room still being occupied. The windows would have been wide open once, their 3 inhabitants causing havoc, their shouting and screaming resonating through the whole building, followed by Manjome’s complains that were just as loud.

But you could barely hear a thing now, the blinds were shut and the light was off. If Sho didn’t know any better he would have thought the dorm was abandoned. 

-“So he’s inside?” Johan asked, eyes fixed on the door in the upper floor. 

-“Yeah, the docks were empty so he’s surely in there.” Sho replied. After a few seconds of awkward silence Johan sighed as he looked down.

-“Alright. I’ll give it a shot. I don’t know if I’ll get anywhere, but it’s Judai. So I’ll try.” He said in a determined tone. Sho couldn’t be more thankful.

He hid himself under the staircase as Johan went up so Judai wouldn’t see him, but he could still see the door to his dorm. He saw Johan knock and cross his arms while he waited. He looked collected but Sho could tell he wasn’t by the way his fingers were tapping against his arm. The European duelist leaned his ear towards the door and knocked again. After a few moments without any response, he decided to just keep on knocking until the door opened.

-“What do you-“ Sho couldn’t see Judai since he was still inside the dorm, but he could hear him loud and clear in that pissed off tone that was becoming more and more common these days. “J-Johan?” Wow, that certainly was a change. From sounding annoyed and done with everyone a second, to an incredible tenderness that could be felt from a single word.

-“Hey Judai.” Sho heard Johan reply. It sounded so casual and careless one wouldn’t think he didn’t travel across a continent less than 24 hours ago just to see the Slifer Red. “I decided to drop by and-“

Johan didn’t get to finish his sentence because Judai enveloped him in a hug. Sho’s jaw almost dropped to the ground. In 3 years he had never seen him hug anyone, let alone the way he was hugging the teal haired boy. Sho felt like he was intruding in something private and leaned against the staircase to stop peaking. After a few moments of silence he heard the dorm door close shut again and when he looked up the upper floor aisle was empty. He stared at the door for a few seconds, not exactly sure of what he was expecting, and decided to leave and look for the rest of his friends.

He really hoped this worked.

\----

Sho’s hopes shattered the following day as he got into Chrono’s classroom to find Judai’s seat empty. He felt his face fell and an hand resting on his shoulder. He turned around to see Kenzan giving him a sympathetic look, though hie eyes reflected the same sadness. The second year student knew about Sho’s plan and had also hoped it would bring Judai back. 

Lunchtime rolled around and still no signs of the only Slifer Red in the school. The heaviness in Sho’s heart grew by the second. Even when he tried to look after Judai, to help him, he failed miserably. Maybe he had gotten to a point that no one could reach him anymore, not even Johan.

Out of pure habit, Kenzan and Sho walked back to the Red Dorms once classes were finished. They had spent most of their high school years living there even if they belonged to Ra Yellow, so sometimes they found themselves there even if they weren’t looking for Judai.

But Sho then spotted from a distance two figures sitting by the second floor aisle, their legs dangling off the railings. A teal mop of hair with a blue uniform and a brown one with a red jacked he’d know anywhere.

-“Kenzan!” He interrupted whatever the other was talking about. “Look!” He pointed towards the dorms and saw the younger’s eyes widen as he took in the picture. They looked a each other and sprinted off towards the red dorms as fast as they could.

Once they were right in front of the building, they saw Judai and Johan with their decks in their hands, a huge pile of card packets between them. 

-“Hey, Johan! This card could fit into your deck quite well!” Judai exclaimed as he showed the card to Johan. Sho felt tears pooling in his eyes, he doesn’t know how long it’s been since he’s seen Judai holding cards without dueling to save everyone. Since he’s done this for the very reason he joined Duel Academia: because it was fun. 

It was at that moment that they spotted them. Judai put the cards he was holding down to wave at them.

-“Yo, Sho! Kenzan! Ms. Tome got a fresh batch of card packets and we bought a ton, want to open them with us?”

Sho discreetly wiped the tears from his eyes as Kenzan and himself nodded at each other and walked towards the staircase. Once they were with the other two, Judai handed each of them a few packets with a smile. It was a different smile from the one Sho remembers, less carefree and more subdued. But it was a start. His plan seemed to be working.

As he focused on opening the packets he realized the guilt that had weighed him down was still there. But seeing Judai, his first friend, his best friend even if it wasn’t mutual, smile at him when he got a rare card, made a pleasantly warm feeling run through him. And it made it all much more bearable. 


End file.
